Etymology

First attested in a medieval Turkic language in 11 century by Mahmud al-Kashgari. Appears to have spread to modern languages via Literary Chagatai.

Alternatively, may have been borrowed from or mediated by the Russian тюрьма́ ‎(tjurʹmá). Note, however, that the etymology of the latter is disputed between Turkic and Germanic.

Cognate with Kazakh түрме ‎(türme), Kyrgyz түрмө ‎(türmö), Uzbek turma, Turkmen türme, etc.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [tʏ̞r.ˈmæ]
• Hyphenation: төр‧мә